The Nova Sanctum's hull split open again, panels shifting with quiet precision. Rows of warheads slid into place, their faint hum lost in the storm clouds.
Lucian sat forward, one elbow on the arm of the chair, chin resting against his fist. His eyes stayed fixed on the valley below, where tiny red lights pulsed across Alfred's holo-map. Hundreds of life signatures. And two that glowed brighter than the rest.
One of them stirred.
The air in the valley shifted. Trees bent under invisible weight. The highest-ranked presence—the XX guardian—rose.
Through the ship's reinforced glass, Lucian saw it emerge from the settlement: a towering figure cloaked in armor of bone and black hide, horns jutting from its skull like jagged spears. Its aura burned across the valley like a storm, waves of energy forcing the weaker monsters to their knees.
Kaelis uncoiled slightly on Lucian's shoulders, molten eyes gleaming. "There it is."
Lucian didn't answer. His hand lifted once, calm, precise.
